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February 2004
Posts: 12
| Hi: I had been looking for a 1767 for some time on ebay and came up short. I began to look for other deep bowl Legend, and ended up finding a 1651 Legend Ltd. (Nutmeg). I don't know too much about it other than it seemed like a great guitar. I had owned the 1767 before, and wanted it again because I knew the sound was rock solid predictable.
If you were to play these two side by side, what guitar would sound better?
If you were to plug these in, what guitar would sound better?
The 1651 says it has an FET preamp. The 1767 said it has the OP-24. What is the real difference between these preamps?
Thanks! |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | The Legend Ltd is a standard Legend in every respect apart from the nutmeg finish & the fact that it has a stereo fet3 preamp with concentric volume & tone controls. The Op24 has 3 band eq and the OP24+ adds preshape and mid-shift, the EQ centres are probably different also. Both preamps work fine and I don't have a problem with the early preamps, though the Op24+ is probably more versatile & will be easier to get a good sound plugged-in without using outboard gear. If you've heard a late 70's/early 80's Legend, then you'll know the sound of the Ltd, but there's no way to predict which of the 2 will sound better acoustically other than actually playing them side by side. |
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February 2004
Posts: 12
| In all the settings (medium sized halls) I've played the 1767 with the OP24, I ran the eq flat, right to the board. I got huge balanced sound with no effort. Everytime. Everyone one else with this and that kind of guitar setups (Larivees with LRBaggs, Taylors with iBow) had endless tweaks to get a decent sound in the same room, just before or after me.
Is there a sound difference in the preamps (OP24 and FET3)? I don't know much about them or the difference in piezos. It's the piezos that affect the sound the most, right? Assuming everything was perfect, would the two guitars sound about the same plugged in, run straight to a board, or is there some other significant issue with the preamps?
If a soundman is at the board to tweak a little, and I'm sending a good strong signal, would I really need an outboard eq just for my guitar? |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | There's a 1767 on ebay right now
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3703522020&category=33029
Looks like our own Paul B is in the bidding. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | The early FET3 pre's & the 3-band Op24 sound pretty much the same set flat. The Op24 & Op24+ sound a little different & I personally think the earlier simpler Op24 sounds better.
I own & use Ovations with Fet3, Op24, OP24+, Optima & Op50 preamps and I always use outboard processing, regardless of the guitar/preamp. Mostly so that if there is a soundman on the board I can tell him to leave my channel flat so I can deal with it from the stage. In 25+ years of live performance I can count on one hand the number of alleged "sound-engineers" who actually understand what an acoustic instrument is supposed to sound like |
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February 2004
Posts: 12
| What outboard gear do you consider indespensible? Do you run it from the stage? I would think, with the 24, that all you would need is a compressor, in addition to any effects you would run. What would you consider ideal where you never have the same soundperson or pa system?
Doug |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 12
| Also, when it comes right down to it, would you choose (assuming you could be forced to choose ;) ) a vintage 1651 with the FET3 or an early nineties 1767 with the OP24 as your main stage / living room instrument? This is less an aesthetic question and more a practical one. I assume the 1651 would sound at least somewhat better considering its not a cutaway and has AAA spruce vs AA spruce. It's not clear whether any of that would translate into better live sound or not - probably not I would think. Thanks! |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I too am a fan of the OP24 pre-amp, but recently I learned that part of the difference in sound may also be related to the pickup being used. I don't recall the details, but maybe Al or Paul can shed some light. Appearently the pickup element changed for awhile, and more recently the original technology was again revisited. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Given a good, well -eq'd system, in a good room, and an engineer with ears & at least half a brain you can pretty much plug any Ovation diectly into the system & get a good sound. Now, back in the real world...........
Personally the only effect I use on acoustic instruments is a hint of reverb, usually a plate simulation. Compression can be good but it's easy to over-use it & suck the life out of your sound. Other than that I use either a Boss AD5 or Baggs Para Acoustic DI followed by a Behringer Shark Feedback destroyer. There's a bunch of other dedicated acoustic DI/EQ units that will do a similar job. Take a look at my acoustic rig in the gallery |
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1651 Legend Ltd or 1767 Legend: preamp q's
